Mr Heartbreaker
by phantominkgecko
Summary: My contribution to Linzin week Thursday "Over It." I've had this idea for a while, but the prompt gave me an actual direction. Takes place during "And the Winner Is..."


"Do what you want! It's not like I've ever been able to stop you before." Lin's frustration prevented her from noticing the Avatar at first. By the time she realized she was being spoken too, she'd already passed the young girl. The last thing she wanted was idle chat with the teenager, so she continued walking away.

She'd turned a corner and was almost out of earshot when _he_ said her name. Even after all this time—perhaps especially after all this time—hearing her name in his voice, on his lips, caused her heart to skip a beat. It wasn't lovesickness or yearning that caused this, just…nostalgia maybe. Memories. Lin stopped in her tracks to catch what he said about her.

"She's always been…challenging."

If Lin hadn't been so steamed, she would've been amused. Challenging was an understatement.

"What did your father do to make her hate the Avatar so much?"

Lin held back a snort. Of course the stubborn girl would assume all this was about her and then cast the responsibility back onto Aang at the same time. Teenagers…

"My father and Lin got along famously." Was that a smile she heard? "I'm afraid her issues are with me."

The change in tone resonated within Lin, yes she was indignant. _Not everything is about you either, Airhead._ Wasn't she allowed to have a bad day? Couldn't she just be grouchy for no reason? Things had been stressful lately, and she'd put up with a lot of nonsense lately.

Korra's gasp refocused Lin's attention. "Wait a second…It all makes sense now! You and Beifong, Beifong and you! You two were a couple!"

"What! How? Where'd you get that idea?"

His embarrassment hurt. There'd been a time when such an observation would have been met with a smug grin. He'd been boyishly proud about their relationship and had thought himself lucky to have her.

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"Ha! Your wife."

Oh really? Astonished, Lin tried to imagine the diminutive Pema telling the Avatar any part of that story. It was difficult.

"Criminy. I'll have to have a word with her."

"So…Pema stole you from Beifong."

Teeth and fists clenched simultaneously. So the story-telling had been boasting. Pathetic.

"I'm surprised out "esteemed Chief of Police" didn't throw her in jail."

_As if I would be so petty._

"Oh she tried."

That was a lie. Or at least an exaggeration. It's been an empty threat. A desperate few words meant mostly to give herself a laugh.

"Anyway, Pema didn't steal me. Lin nd I had been growing apart for some time. We both had different goals in li—Why am I even telling you any of this?"

A valid question. Korra had no right to know their story. Lin was glad Tenzin had stopped himself before she revealed her eavesdropping by a well thrown rock to his head.

"It all happened a long time ago, and we've moved past it."

"Hm. Apparently Beifong hasn't."

Those were fighting words. Righteous indignation practically made Lin growl. How dare she insinuate…

"What do you…Of course she has! Anyway, this is none of your business!"

Lin felt profound satisfaction in the sound of his annoyed retreat. It didn't last long.

"See you at home, Mr. Heartbreaker!"

* * *

><p>Mr. Heartbreaker.<p>

Lin scoffed as she made her way back to police headquarters.

Mr. Heartbreaker?

What did that brat know? It was absurd.

Mr. Heartbreaker!

Lin seethed, and officers surreptitiously avoided her in the corridor.

He did not break hearts! It was as he'd said. They'd drifted apart. They wanted different things. They'd both known they couldn't last forever.

Really it was just coincidence that he'd been the one to end it. A few weeks later and she might have called a stop to everything anyway. Sure, there had been some hard feelings. It was to be expected.

But certainly no broken hearts. That was ridiculous!

And the nerve of that girl. Claiming she hadn't moved on. She was absolutely over it. One hundred percent. More so even than Tenzin. At least she didn't stand around gossiping about it with teenagers years later.

Spirits!

Lin slammed the door to her office.

She was over it. Entirely.

She'd had a life after Tenzin. She'd dated other people. None of them had stuck, but she didn't need to be married with three children to be over it She'd had a couple very fulfilling relationships. Nevermind the fact they were somewhat short lived.

It wasn't as if the end of their relationship had stunted her character. She'd thrived after she was free of him. She'd thrown herself into her work and had made a significant difference in the safety of Republic City. She hadn't been grieving or lonely. Nothing of the sort.

And it wasn't like she mooned over Tenzin, clinging onto relics of their relationship.

The penholder seemed to glare at her from the desktop. True, Tenzin had handcrafted it from clay and given it as a gift, but it was when they were children. Before they dated.

Besides. It was functional. No point in tossing something that she used all the time.

Lin dropped into her chair with an exasperated sigh, and tilted her head back. The emerald curtain on her window caught her eye. Really, it was a shawl pretending to be a curtain. It had been a gift from Tenzin as well. After their parting, she'd been unable to wear it, but she still loved the look and feel of it. That's why she'd hung it up.

But it was a pointless memento.

She was over Tenzin. The shawl served no purpose. She could throw it out. With grim determination, she marched to the window. With a deft wave, the nails holding the shawl in position zoomed to her waiting palm. With her other hand, she caught keepsake as it fluttered down from its place.

The window looked strangely bereft at its absence, but it didn't matter. There'd been many bare windows in Lin's life. One more made no difference.

Now to get rid of the thing. The garbage can next to her desk wasn't final enough. She'd have to take it to the furnace in the basement.

Firmly resolved, Lin soon found herself standing in front of the open furnace. For all her gusto, she was loath to part with the shawl. But she was over Tenzin. Korra's teasing words echoed in her mind. _Apparently Beifong hasn't._

With a derisive snort, Lin thrust the garment into the flame.

It had scarcely lit when a sense of panic overcame her, and she snatched it back with a metal cord. She stomped fire away before—inexplicably—clutching the abused shawl to her chest.

Who was she kidding?

There was really no point in lying to herself.

She wasn't over it.

Tenzin wasn't a heartbreaker, but he _was_ a heart thief. He hadn't been very kind to her stolen heart. In his hands it'd been cracked, suffocated, shattered, painstakingly put back together and cast aside. Admittedly, it was rather bruised. But as long as he had it, one thing was certain.

She would never be over him.


End file.
